CBI to probe suicide of key witness in Bengal Cong leader's murder

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the suicide of Niranjan Baishnab, the key witness to the murder of Tapan Kadu, the Congress councillor of Jhalda Municipality in West Bengal's Purulia district.

The CBI is already conducting a probe in the murder of Tapan Kandu, who was killed on a road in Jhalda on March 13 evening. On April 6 morning the body of Niranjan Baishnab, who was the key witness to the murder of Tapan Kandu, was recovered from his residence. A suicide note was recovered wherein Baishnab had written that he took the drastic step as he was unable to bear the pressure from the local police following the murder of Kandu.

On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court observed that since the murder of Tapan Kandu and suicide of Niranjan Baishnab were inter-linked, the CBI should conduct a parallel probe in both the cases.

On March 13 Tapan Kandu was assassinated while he was having an evening walk with his wife, Purnima Kandu and Baishnab was also accompanying them.

In the suicide note, Baishnab also referred to the assassination of Tapan Kandu, to which he was an eyewitness and said that the scene of assassination had been haunting him since the day the tragic incident took place.

Reacting to the Calcutta High Court's order, Purulia district Congress president, Nepal Mahato said that CBI probe in Baishnab's suicide was necessary since the deceased in his suicide note referred to the pressure of state police on him. "Now I am confident that the CBI will unearth the conspiracy behind the tragic suicide," Mahato said.

The CPI-M central committee member, Dr Sujan Chakraborty said that the successive orders of the Calcutta High Court for CBI probe in some cases proves that the credibility of the state police is at the rock-bottom level.

Senior Trinamool Congress MLA Tapas Roy said the CBI's past records of solving cases do not really paint a rosy picture. "I do not want to make any comments on the merits of the Calcutta High Court. Now let us see what progress does the CBI make in this case," Roy said.